KIEV, September 2. /TASS/. Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has charged 18 people with organizing clashes near the Verkhovna Rada in Kiev on August 31, the press service said on Wednesday.

"In the framework of ongoing investigation into the events near the Verkhovna Rada building on August 31, 18 people were charged with offenses," the press service noted.

Clashes in Kiev on August 31

On Monday, protesters clashed with police and National Guard troops near the Verkhovna Rada building as MPs initially backed constitutional amendments supposed to give greater powers to Donbass.

Someone from the crowd hurled a grenade at the police cordons surrounding the parliament building.

A total of 141 people have been injured, and most of them - 131 - are police officers and National Guard soldiers, including 10 in serious condition. Three National Guards died from sustained injuries.

The country’s interior minister has accused Ukraine’s nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party and its leader Oleg Tyagnibok of this fresh outbreak of violence. The Svoboda party said the grenade incident was a "provocation" aimed against Ukraine’s patriots. A criminal case into terrorism has been launched. The Interior Ministry has detained 18 people, and five of them remain in a custody cell.